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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24814450">How to Say "I Love You" in Zero Words or Less</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran'>Mikauzoran</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lukadrien June 2020 [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up (18 and 20), Angst, First Kiss, Flowers, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Happy Ending, Language of Flowers, Love Confessions, Lukadrien June 2020, Lukadrien June 2020 Day Nineteen: Flower Language, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Romance, Secret Admirer, lukadrien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:26:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,489</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24814450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Luka plans to confess his feelings to Adrien, he comes up with a scheme to get Adrien to help him pick out just the right flowers to get Luka’s message across.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lukadrien June 2020 [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781776</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>167</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>How to Say "I Love You" in Zero Words or Less</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello all and welcome. I'm Mikau. Thank you very much for taking a look at this story! I hope you enjoy it. ^.^</p><p>Come talk to me on Tumblr: https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It’s so sweet of you to think to get your professor flowers,” Adrien cooed as Luka held the door of the flower shop open for him.</p><p>The shopkeeper greeted the young men, and they called a good afternoon back.</p><p>Luka shrugged as they headed down the first aisle, peeking into the refrigerated cases at the wide variety of blooms available in luscious, vibrant shades as well as soft pastels. “She’s also my program advisor and the one who encouraged me when I started thinking I wanted to add Piano and Violin Performance degrees.”</p><p>Adrien stopped to sniff a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_'Stargazer'">stargazer lily</a>, and Luka silently admired the scene.</p><p>“She’s helped me a lot, so I think it’s appropriate to get her a little something to congratulate her on her wedding.” Luka’s eyes tracked Adrien as he moved on to sniff the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_lancifolium">tiger lilies</a> in the next bucket over.</p><p>“Oh, yeah. Definitely,” Adrien confirmed, adjusting his newsboy hat and sunglasses.</p><p>Luka took a second to ponder and appreciate how Adrien made tweed work.</p><p>He then paused to mourn how woefully in over his head he was for this beautiful, unassuming boy.</p><p>Adrien looked up and smiled. “It’s still sweet of you to think of it. I bet she’ll appreciate the gesture.”</p><p>“Speaking of appreciation,” Luka remarked. “Thank <em>you</em> for agreeing to come with me. Where did you learn so much about flower meanings?”</p><p>When he’d overheard Adrien and Rose’s heated discussion about the meanings of flowers in Shakespeare the week before, he knew that he couldn’t just get Adrien any old flowers. Thus, the elaborate scheme. It was true that Luka’s advisor was getting married and Luka wanted to get her a small congratulatory gift, but <em>she</em> probably didn’t care much about the symbolism behind the flowers.</p><p>Adrien shrugged and went back to browsing. “No worries. I’m happy to help. I actually picked up my expertise mostly from nineteenth century literature. As you’re aware, I spent the first thirteen years of my life in an elaborate cage. My father thinks the classics are more suitable than anything written after World War One, so… Flower language is very Victorian.”</p><p>Luka nodded. “Well, let’s put your knowledge to good use. What kinds of flowers would be good to give a bride?”</p><p>Adrien pursed his lips. “Well, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera">ivy</a> is a traditional marriage plant.” He leaned in to smell a bouquet of yellow and white <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellis_perennis">daisies</a>. “It symbolizes fidelity and fertility. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_blossom">Orange blossom</a> is good too. It symbolizes innocence and purity, so it’s used as a wedding flower in a lot of cultures. I learned about that from one of my Chinese teachers. There’s also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtus">myrtle</a>,” Adrien went on, crouching down to admire a bucket of small bunches of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip">tulips</a> in purple, pink, yellow-and-red, white, and orange. “Myrtle is a symbol of prosperity and good luck in love and marriage. It’s a traditional Hebrew symbol of marriage.”</p><p>Luka smiled, one eyebrow inclining in curiosity. “Where did you learn that?”</p><p>Adrien grinned sheepishly, standing up with a shrug. “I did some research into Judaism when I was reading <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Deronda">Daniel Deronda</a> by George Elliot. It just…kind of came up.”</p><p>Luka nodded, amused. “Your stock of random knowledge always amazes me.”</p><p>Adrien scoffed lightly, glancing around the rest of the shop. “Don’t be too amazed yet. I don’t even know if this store has any of those. Maybe I should make recommendations based on what I see instead of giving you a symposium on flower language in general.”</p><p>“I’m happy listening to you talk,” Luka confessed nonchalantly. “You’re always interesting, and I always learn something. But I realize your time is limited, since you have to sneak back in before anyone realizes you’re gone, so…”</p><p>Adrien waved away the hint of concern in Luka’s voice. “They won’t notice for at least another hour or two. Besides, I’m eighteen; what are they going to do to me?”</p><p><em>“Put bars on your windows?”</em> Luka thought but did not voice aloud.</p><p>“Here. Look at these <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_(plant)">violets</a>.” Adrien took Luka by the wrist and tugged him towards a tiered rack of potted flowers. “Violets are symbols of modesty, innocence, and everlasting love. Maybe something in a planter would be good. It would last longer than cut flowers.”</p><p>Luka nodded, coming up beside Adrien to look, letting their shoulders brush. “That’s an idea. I like the magenta ones. And the yellow ones. I’ve never seen yellow violets before.”</p><p>“That reminds me of the time I found out that irises came in colors other than purple,” Adrien chuckled.</p><p>Luka frowned, turning to study Adrien’s face, trying to determine whether he was serious or not. “They do?”</p><p>Adrien nodded. “Yeah. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_pseudacorus">Yellow</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=white+iris&amp;rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS779US779&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjnq6Txho_qAhUaH80KHT3YCr8Q_AUoAXoECBcQAw&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=625">white</a> at the very least. The white ones are lovely.”</p><p>Luka pulled out his phone and did a quick Google search. “…Huh. Yeah.”</p><p>“…<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zantedeschia_aethiopica">Calla lilies</a> might be nice,” Adrien hummed, looking at the potted, white lilies on the bottom tier of the rack. “They symbolize beauty. A lot of people use them in weddings. Or these <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysanthemum">chrysanthemums</a> are pretty.” He pointed to the flowers on the middle rack that looked a bit like daisies to Luka. “They’re a pretty hardy flower. Very popular in Japan.”</p><p>Adrien blinked, looking off to the side as if trying to recall something. “They’re the symbol of the emperor, but, for some reason, I’m thinking I read somewhere that they also symbolized love between two men because the petals of some varieties look like…um…”</p><p>Adrien’s whole face from the tips of his ears to the base of his throat turned as red as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy">poppies</a> in the case behind him. He quickly recovered, turning back to Luka with a smile. “Chrysanthemums have a lot of different meanings. Let’s look at the flowers in the cases some more.”</p><p>Luka was tempted to tease Adrien and ask him to tell Luka more about the love between two men, but Luka figured that was too mean, considering that Adrien was doing Luka a favour.</p><p>“<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony">Peonies</a>,” Adrien announced, showing Luka a gorgeous bunch of large, pink balls of feathery, soft-looking petals. “Peonies are symbols of prosperity, good fortune, and happy marriage.”</p><p>“These, I love,” Luka chuckled, leaning in to sniff the blossoms. “I want to look around a little more, but I’m definitely keeping these in mind. They’re perfect.”</p><p>Adrien beamed with pride, happy to have been useful.</p><p>“Now, what’s <em>your</em> favourite flower?” Luka began fishing.</p><p>“<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alstroemeria">Alstroemeria</a>,” Adrien replied readily, unsuspecting. He glanced around the shop until his gaze landed on the flower he was searching for at the end of the aisle. “Here.” He motioned Luka over to look at what appeared to be miniature tiger lilies in various shades ranging from white to purple.</p><p>“Alstroemeria,” Luka repeated to himself. “They’re really pretty. What do they mean?” He turned to Adrien who looked so precious as he happily admired the flowers.</p><p>“In general? Friendship. Friendship and devotion. The different colors have slightly different implications, though.” He pointed to a stem of white alstroes. “White is for purity, strength, and support. Yellow is for joy, energy, and happiness. Pink means friendship turning into love, and red can be used for love, but I think most people just buy roses for that.”</p><p>Luka arched an eyebrow at Adrien’s dismissive tone. “Not a fan of roses?”</p><p>Adrien shrugged. “They’re just overdone. Would I complain if I got roses? Absolutely not, but <em>everyone</em> does roses, so it’s like…”</p><p>“Not very creative?” Luka suggested, crossing roses off his mental list permanently.</p><p>“Exactly,” Adrien chuckled, glad that someone else got it. “So, what’s your favourite flower?”</p><p>Luka blinked and had to think about it. He hadn’t been expecting a quiz. “Um…daisies, I think. They’re a very simple, straightforward flower, but they’re still really pretty, and they brighten up a room. I like that they’re no-fuss.”</p><p>Adrien nodded, looping around into the next aisle and starting to make his way back up the length of the shop. “Daisies <em>are</em> nice. They mean innocence and purity and hope. They’re a nice flower.”</p><p>“…Sooo…roses,” Luka circled back, spotting the rose selection in its own separate case up ahead. There were at least ten different shades from pinks to peaches to lavender to <a href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS779US779&amp;source=univ&amp;tbm=isch&amp;q=tie+dye+roses&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj7gK6wiI_qAhUICs0KHe8dBEEQsAR6BAgEEAE&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=625">tie-dye</a>.</p><p>“Roses?” Adrien quirked an eyebrow interrogatively.</p><p>Luka pursed his lips. “Would there be any kind of rose you’d be excited to get, or are they all overdone?”</p><p>Adrien thought about this for a minute, studying the roses in the case. “Honestly, I’d be happy to get roses, even if they are overdone. It’s still a thoughtful thing to do, buy someone roses, even if it isn’t very original.”</p><p>“If…I were, say, to confess my love to someone,” Luka pressed, “would there be any kind of rose that it would be sort of original to give someone?”</p><p>Adrien’s curiosity quickly faded into displeasure. “Are you planning on confessing love to someone?”</p><p>“It’s a hypothetical question,” Luka dodged.</p><p>Adrien pressed his lips together, giving Luka a hard look before turning his attention back to the roses. “Well…roses have pretty specific meanings by shade. The red and pink ones typically mean love and affection. Yellow means jealousy, but I’ve seen it as symbolizing friendship too.” He pointed to a bouquet of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=yellow+roses+with+red+tips&amp;tbm=isch&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj8hai1iI_qAhVLXawKHXUhBWMQ2-cCegQIABAA&amp;oq=yellow+roses+with+red+tips&amp;gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyBggAEAUQHjIECAAQGDoFCAAQsQM6BAgAEEM6BwgAELEDEEM6BggAEAgQHjoGCAAQChAYOgQIABAeUILoAljvlwNgkpsDaAJwAHgBgAG2AYgBqRCSAQQyNy4xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWc&amp;sclient=img&amp;ei=vE7tXvy3F8u6sQX1wpSYBg&amp;bih=625&amp;biw=1366&amp;rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS779US779">yellow roses with red at the tips</a>. “Those, going from yellow to red, mean friendship turning into love. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=blue+rose&amp;tbm=isch&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjh-KHPiI_qAhWUcqwKHZXgBpIQ2-cCegQIABAA&amp;oq=blue+rose&amp;gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIHCAAQsQMQQzICCAAyBAgAEEMyBAgAEEMyAggAMgQIABBDMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoFCAAQsQNQvNkzWOHhM2DM4zNoAHAAeAKAAdYEiAH1FZIBCzEuMi4xLjIuMi4xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWc&amp;sclient=img&amp;ei=8k7tXuG3MZTlsQWVwZuQCQ&amp;bih=625&amp;biw=1366&amp;rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS779US779">Blue roses</a> symbolize the impossibility or unattainability of love. White is for purity and virtue. Coral roses mean desire. Rosebuds are for youth and purity. It’s all very specific depending on what message you want to send to this hypothetical person you’re confessing to. Even the number of roses you give them has a meaning.”</p><p>“That’s…complicated,” Luka realized, definitely ruling out roses.</p><p>Adrien nodded, pointing to a bouquet of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=lavender+rose&amp;tbm=isch&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjmgJL1i4_qAhWxna0KHYJjCdIQ2-cCegQIABAA&amp;oq=lavendar+rose&amp;gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1AAWABgx0NoAHAAeACAAQCIAQCSAQCYAQCqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZw&amp;sclient=img&amp;ei=Z1LtXqaxIbG7tgWCx6WQDQ&amp;bih=625&amp;biw=1366&amp;rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS779US779">lavender roses</a>. “Love at first sight,” he declared and then added softly, “…Was it love at first sight for you?”</p><p>Luka smiled fondly at the memory of Adrien tripping over an electrical cord and the way his face lit up at discovering the keyboard.</p><p>“Maybe not <em>love</em>,” Luka hummed. “But it was definitely intense <em>like</em> accompanied by the desire to know them better.”</p><p>Adrien’s shoulders tensed, and he found himself more upset than he’d thought he’d be to learn that Luka actually did like someone.</p><p>“You should lie and say it was love at first sight,” he suggested, trying to keep his voice level and emotionless. “It’s more romantic.”</p><p>Luka winced, mentally kicking himself for lowering his guard and being careless. “How do you feel about tulips? Aren’t tulips traditionally a flower you give to confess your love?”</p><p>Adrien shrugged, walking a little further down the aisle, away from the roses. “Tulips are perfectly fine. They’re not <em>my</em> favourite, but I’m sure someone else would be thrilled to get them. They kind of remind me of <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_Davidsz._de_Heem_-_Glass_Vase_with_Flowers_on_a_Stone_Ledge.jpg">Dutch still life</a> paintings…like they’re there to remind me that beauty and youth and life itself are fleeting and delicate.”</p><p>“That’s not very romantic,” Luka observed. He’d never been a fan of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanitas">vanitas</a> paintings.</p><p>“Right?” Adrien chuckled. “You can see why tulips aren’t at the top of my list.”</p><p>Something in one of the cases further down the aisle seemed to catch Adrien’s eye.</p><p>“Here.” He pointed to a flower that looked a little bit like a tightly wound-up rose. “This is a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ranunculus&amp;rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS779US779&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi5-LyUjI_qAhXGVs0KHSvCC4oQ_AUoAXoECBYQAw&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=625">ranunculus</a>.”</p><p>“Ranunculus?” Luka echoed. <em>“Like homunculus?”</em></p><p>“This is what you should give the person you like,” Adrien suggested, trying to be a good friend, trying to keep the bitter note and the jealousy out of his voice. “It means that you’re enchanted or charmed by someone. It’s like figuratively saying, ‘I have a crush on you’.”</p><p>Luka studied the flower, nodding. “Do you like ranunculuses—ranunculi?”</p><p>Adrien chuckled at that, a wan smile pulling at his lips. “Yeah. I like them.”</p><p>Luka glanced around the rest of the shop to get a quick idea of what else there was and ultimately decided that he had the information he needed. “I think I do want to get the peonies after all. I liked those a lot, and they seemed to fit the occasion. Want to look around some more while I go check out?”</p><p>“Uh, sure.” Adrien shrugged indifferently, glad, for once, to be parting. “Just flag me down when you’re ready to go.”</p><p>He needed some space because he <em>was</em> upset that Luka had feelings for someone else, and it was hard to keep up the amiable front when he was miserable on the inside.</p><p>Luka swung back around into the first aisle and grabbed the bouquet of peonies along with a few stems of yellow and orange alstroemeria.</p><p>The peonies, he asked the florist to arrange in a vase, but the alstroes he had her wrap in tissue paper and tie with a gold ribbon.</p><p>Once he’d finished paying, he caught Adrien’s eye and motioned that he was ready to go.</p><p>Adrien got the door for Luka whose hands were a little full and frowned curiously at the extra flowers. “What’s up with the alstroes?”</p><p>“For you,” Luka announced, holding out the small bouquet.</p><p>Adrien pulled off his sunglasses to really look at them, his brow scrunching in confusion. “For…me?”</p><p>Luka nodded. “Thank you so much for your help, Adrien. I appreciate you coming with me and spending your time teaching me about flowers. You were awesome in there. I would have been lost without you.”</p><p>Adrien blushed, taking the bouquet gingerly from Luka’s outstretched hand. “Th-Thank you.” His wounded heart fluttered, making it ache all the more. “Any time. I’m happy to help. Um…I should get going, though. I am a little worried about them realizing I’m gone. I’ll see you soon?”</p><p>Luka nodded, noting that something was off but putting it down to Adrien being slightly flustered from the gift and concerned about getting in trouble. “How about you skip fencing on Friday and come hang out? I could pick you up after school.”</p><p>Excitement at thoughts of getting to wrap his arms around Luka while he drove them to the Liberty on his motorcycle overrode Adrien’s current funk.</p><p>“Yeah, definitely,” he found himself agreeing before common sense could catch up and warn him that Luka might be dating someone by that point if he planned to confess to the person he liked that week.</p><p>“I’ll see you then.” Luka gave an affectionate smile and waved as Adrien turned to go, heading for the nearest alley so that he could transform and sneak back into his room.</p><p>He ended up behind a bistro, and the scent of garlic and mushrooms stung his nostrils as he slumped back against the rough brick wall with a sigh.</p><p>“What’s all this sighing about?” Plagg grumbled, coming out of his hiding spot in Adrien’s left shoulder.</p><p>Adrien let out another heavy sigh as he slipped his sunglasses back on and pulled the bouquet in to his chest. “Too late I’m realizing that the ‘little crush’ I’ve been harboring on Luka for years isn’t so little and isn’t just a crush. Plagg, I’m in love with him, and he’s getting ready to ask someone else out. Of course I’m sighing.” He looked away. “I’m <em>always</em> star-crossed in love.”</p><p>Plagg narrowed his electric green eyes and crossed his stubby arms, clearly not impressed with Adrien. “Kid. The person he likes is <em>you</em>.”</p><p>Adrien averted his eyes, looking down at the lemon and tangerine alstroemeria. “Plagg…stop. You’re wrong. It’s not like that.”</p><p>Plagg gave an impatient snort. “He just gave you flowers.”</p><p>“Flowers that I specifically told him mean <em>friendship</em>,” Adrien shot right back bitterly.</p><p>“Flowers that you specifically told him were your favourite,” Plagg countered.</p><p>Adrien pushed his sunglasses down on his nose to glare over them at his kwami. “I also told him that the yellow ones symbolized energy and happiness while the red ones meant love. He got me <em>yellow</em> alstroes. This is just a thank you gift for helping him pick out a present for his teacher.”</p><p>“Please,” Plagg groaned. “Adrien, he didn’t really care what he got for his professor. That was just a ruse.”</p><p>Adrien’s head tipped to the side. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Kid, I just watched him work you over for the past twenty minutes. He tricked you into helping him pick out flowers for <em>you</em>,” Plagg stressed, hoping that Adrien would wise up and just be happy in love for once.</p><p>Adrien shook his head, not letting himself believe. “You mean after he decided on flowers for his teacher? Plagg, he was trying to decide on what flowers to give to the person he’s going to confess to, not me. None of that was about me.”</p><p>Plagg took a deep breath and tried to be patient. He knew Adrien had been hurt in love often in the past, so he understood why the kid had low self-esteem and trouble believing someone finally returned his feelings. It was hard to be patient, though, after spending the past two years wanting to scream “Kiss already!” at Luka and Adrien.</p><p>“Kid, he asked if <em>you</em> liked roses, if there were any roses you <em>would</em> want to receive, if you liked tulips, if you liked ranunculi, what your favourite flower was,” Plagg listed. “He wasn’t asking so he could get someone else flowers. He was asking about <em>your</em> preferences.”</p><p>Adrien looked back down at the alstroes, and his heart gave a little flip. “I…I don’t think so. I mean, what would he even see in me? I’m…” He shook his head, sighing again. “It’s not me, Plagg. Transform me.”</p><p> </p><p>Adrien’s week went by in a bit of a daze. On Monday, his Chinese professor chided him for his inattentiveness, and, on Tuesday, his piano instructor made several barbed comments about his lack of focus and preparedness.</p><p>Adrien knew he’d be hearing from his father as soon as Gabriel got home from a business trip on Wednesday, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He couldn’t help his distraction.</p><p>One look at the alstroes in the vase on his desk sent his mind in a dozen different directions.</p><p>He wondered if Luka had a new boyfriend or girlfriend yet.</p><p> </p><p>On Wednesday morning, Adrien discovered a vase of pink alstroemeria in his locker.</p><p>He’d been right in the middle of a sentence directed at Nino, but, staring at those flowers, his mind went blank.</p><p>It briefly flickered back to the flower shop over the weekend with Luka, telling Luka that pink alstroes symbolized friendship turning to love.</p><p>“Looks like someone’s got a secret admirer,” Nino chuckled, elbowing Adrien and pulling him out of his thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>“I told you so,” Plagg chuckled later that night as Adrien set the pink alstroes next to the orange and yellow ones.</p><p>“We don’t even know that these are from Luka,” Adrien argued, not daring to hope so that he wouldn’t get his heart crushed. “This isn’t the first time someone’s put a gift in my locker.”</p><p>Plagg rolled his eyes. “No, but it <em>is </em>the first time someone has put pink alstroemeria in your locker a few days after you told your crush that those are your favourite and what the colour means.”</p><p>Adrien pressed his lips together, unable to respond.</p><p>His heart squirmed inside of him in excitement.</p><p>“…No,” he finally whispered. “This is a fluke.”</p><p>If he let himself hope, he’d only be ruined when the metaphorical rug was pulled out from under him.</p><p> </p><p>On Thursday, a glass vase of thirteen yellow roses with red tips was waiting for Adrien in his locker.</p><p>“Dude,” Nino remarked, peering curiously at the gift. “Is there a card or anything?”</p><p>Adrien shook his head.</p><p>“And you don’t have a clue who’s doing this?” Nino pressed.</p><p>Adrien shrugged. “I have a lot of fans. It…It could be anyone.”</p><p>Nino made eye contact with Alya who was talking with Mylène and Marinette over by the other wall of lockers.</p><p>Alya shrugged, and Marinette shook her head.</p><p>Nino frowned. “Well…whoever it is, they have to have help from someone who knows your locker combination.”</p><p>Adrien’s eyebrows pinched together as he tried to remember whether he’d ever told Luka his locker combination. He knew he hadn’t, but…maybe Juleka or Rose had seen him open his locker before?</p><p>Mentally he berated himself. <em>“Stop. Stop trying to twist the facts to suit your delusions. You’re going to get yourself hurt.”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>“Yellow roses with red tips mean friendship becoming love, right?” Plagg snickered after school. “I’m sensing a theme. What does the number thirteen mean?”</p><p>“That I have a secret admirer,” Adrien mumbled miserably.</p><p>“I’m begrudgingly impressed that he took the time to look up what you said about the number of roses having meaning,” Plagg hummed, flying around the flowers, inspecting Adrien’s growing collection.</p><p>Adrien pillowed his arms on his desk and put his head down on top of them.</p><p>“Hey,” Plagg cooed, landing on Adrien’s shoulder. “What’s with the sniffles? Don’t cry, Kid.”</p><p>Adrien shook his head. “I just want it to be him so bad, and it’s <em>not</em>. It’s not, Plagg. It’s <em>not</em>.”</p><p>Plagg sighed, rubbing his head against Adrien’s arm. “Don’t cry, Kid,” he repeated gently. “<em>Somebody </em>loves you.”</p><p> </p><p>Friday morning, there were no flowers.</p><p>Adrien stared into his locker, a host of conflicted feelings roiling around inside of him.</p><p>Nino frowned. “You think they gave up?”</p><p>“Ex-Excuse me,” Adrien muttered, turning and bolting out of the locker room, going to find one of the little-used storage closets he habitually transformed in so that he could get himself together.</p><p>He hid out in there through homeroom and came into first period a few minutes late.</p><p>Nino gave him an inquiring look, but Adrien just smiled and waved away Nino’s concern.</p><p>How could he explain what he himself didn’t fully understand? He couldn’t put his heartbreak and misery and the last glimmers of his hope into words.</p><p>“It’s nothing,” he whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Every time Adrien went to his locker throughout the day, he held his breath. Every time he was disappointed.</p><p>No flowers appeared.</p><p>Adrien didn’t know why that made his heart ache so much.</p><p>In his misery, Adrien almost forgot that he’d made plans to skip fencing and hang out with Luka.</p><p>Peering into his locker at the end of the day, he remembered, and dread filled his chest.</p><p>How was he going to pretend to be fine when Luka told Adrien about his new girlfriend? (Boyfriend?) Adrien didn’t know. He was just looking forward to the motorcycle ride where he could wrap his arms around Luka and pretend for a while.</p><p> </p><p>Luka was waiting at the bottom of the school steps when Adrien came out. Luka waved and smiled, his grin stealing the breath from Adrien’s lungs.</p><p>“Hey,” he greeted, blue eyes twinkling.</p><p>Adrien tried to return the smile, but he just didn’t have it in him to pretend that everything was fine. “Hey.”</p><p>Luka’s grin slowly faded into a concerned frown. “Something wrong? You don’t seem very energetic today.”</p><p>“Just tired,” Adrien lied and then balanced it out with a truth: “I’ll feel better once we get to the Liberty and you make me smores.”</p><p>Luka nodded and handed Adrien the extra motorcycle helmet, seeming to buy it. “I think I can manage that.”</p><p>The ride to the Liberty was every bit as wonderful as Adrien had imagined with his legs pressed to the backs of Luka’s and his chest up against Luka’s back. The warmth and solidity of another human, of the boy he loved, calmed Adrien. He wished it never had to end.</p><p>Too soon they arrived, and Luka parked the bike, stowing away his and Adrien’s helmets before locking up.</p><p>“Hey,” Luka called softly as they made their way across the deck, heading to the back of the ship and down below from there.</p><p>“Hey?” Adrien arched an eyebrow.</p><p>Luka pursed his lips. “You’re not just tired, are you? What’s wrong? Is it your father?”</p><p>Adrien looked away with a shrug. “Not really. I mean, he lectured me for being lazy and unfocused on Wednesday just as soon as he got home after not seeing me for a week, but, you know.” He shrugged again. “Not a big deal. I’m just tired. It’s been a long week. Nothing’s wrong, though.”</p><p>Luka’s eyes narrowed.</p><p>“Have you confessed to your person yet?” Adrien switched topics without fanfare.</p><p>Luka blinked. “What?”</p><p>“The person you like,” Adrien clarified, averting his eyes. He could feel his cheeks burning, and it was hard to keep up the semi-cheerful act. “The one you were milking me for info on flowers for? Have you told them you like them yet? I’d like to meet your new boyfriend. Girlfriend? Or…do I already know them?”</p><p>Luka stopped at the top of the stairs and stared at Adrien in amazement.</p><p>Adrien turned back to Luka, frowning. “What?”</p><p>Luka grimaced. “Oh, Perfect Fifth… You haven’t figured it out?”</p><p>Adrien looked down at his feet, mumbling, “No. Unfortunately, I’m kind of dense when it comes to that. Is it Marinette again?”</p><p>Luka sighed, shaking his head. “Come downstairs with me. I’ve got something for you.”</p><p>Adrien’s brow creased more as indignance and insult was piled on top of his injured heart. Still, he followed, internally pouting. Luka didn’t have to be so mean about not telling Adrien. It wasn’t Adrien’s fault that he hadn’t been able to figure it out.</p><p>At the bottom of the steps, Luka took Adrien’s hand, giving it a squeeze as he led Adrien over to the counter separating the kitchen area from the rest of the main cabin.</p><p>On the counter was a vase of red ranunculi.</p><p>Adrien blinked at them uncomprehendingly. He looked to Luka.</p><p>“Adrien,” Luka informed gently, “these are for <em>you</em>.”</p><p>Adrien’s jaw dropped, and tears started to bead in the corners of his eyes. “For…me?”</p><p>Luka nodded. “Just like the pink alstroemeria and the yellow roses with red tips. I thought I was being really obvious.”</p><p>Adrien put a hand over his mouth, shaking his head. “I wanted it to be you so bad that I couldn’t let myself believe it because it would hurt too much to be wrong.”</p><p>“Don’t cry, P5,” Luka whispered, pulling Adrien into his arms. “Just say the word and I’m yours.”</p><p>Adrien looked up into Luka’s clear blue eyes, letting his tears stream freely. “<em>Yes</em>,” he answered with conviction.</p><p>Luka leaned in, placing a light kiss on Adrien’s lips.</p><p>Adrien pressed back hard, needing the pressure in order to ground himself.</p><p>Luka returned the kiss but was careful to keep the exchange relatively calm. When he felt the intensity building, he gently pulled back. “Let’s take a break,” he suggested. “I think I owe my boyfriend smores.”</p><p>“Say that again,” Adrien laughed giddily. “‘Boyfriend’.”</p><p>“Come on, <em>Boyfriend</em>,” Luka chuckled, taking Adrien’s hand and tugging him into the kitchen to make sugary marshmallow atrocities because they made Adrien happy.</p><p>The</p><p>       End</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And there you have it. What did you think? Did you have a favourite part or a favourite line of dialogue? What's your favourite flower? I mostly like lilies. Alstroemeria are probably my favourite. I like ranunculi and poppies too. I'm not actually sure what the plural of "ranunculus" is, so I'm just choosing to deal with it like the word "homunculus".</p><p>I used to be a florist for two years after uni before I started work as a paralegal. I learned a lot about flowers and flower meanings. (It should be noted that flower meanings are not set in stone, so they change depending on country/time period, so the meanings I've shared here are only some of the possible meanings.) Sometimes I enjoyed being a florist. The flowers were fun to work with, but the general public was not. People are so mean. They don't even treat you like a human being. :/ But the flowers were fun. I liked making arrangements.</p><p>In case you're curious, Adrien picked up that chrysanthemums were a symbol for love between two men from Ueda Akinari's Tales of Moonlight and Rain from the story The Chrysanthemum Vow. Confession: I didn't love this collection of short stories. They were okay, but if you want to read good Japanese short stories, read Natsume Souseki's 夢十夜 (Yume Jyuu Ya/Ten Nights of Dreams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Nights_of_Dreams). The imagery is fantastic. It still sticks with me years after reading. The movie was really good too, really interesting. I read the story (in Japanese) here: http://www.sosekiproject.org/shortworks/tendreams/tendreams.html . Ahem. But about the chrysanthemums. Apparently, someone thought a certain variety of chrysanthemum looked like an anus, so it became a symbol of gay love/intercourse. :/ I wonder about some people and where their minds are. I have never once looked at a chrysanthemum and thought that, and I've worked with a wide variety of chrysanthemums. I've been in Kyoto twice for chrysanthemum season and the chrysanthemum festival. I went to an ikebana exhibition in Japan. I've seen a lot of Japanese flowers, and I just don't get it. ^.^; Oh well. Now you've learned something. I'm sure you're very welcome. ^w^</p><p>Anyway. Thank you very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story.</p><p>Come follow me on Tumblr: https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/</p><p>References:<br/>Daniel Deronda: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Deronda<br/>Glass Vase with Flowers on a Stone Ledge: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_Davidsz._de_Heem_-_Glass_Vase_with_Flowers_on_a_Stone_Ledge.jpg<br/>Vanitas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanitas</p></blockquote></div></div>
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